No Time
by Drama-freakz
Summary: So close. Both L4D1 and L4D2 have met up and are going on their way to get away from the zombies. But there's a problem. Zoey X Ellis. Long oneshot.


There was nothing to say as she sat and stared at him from across the safe room. His perfect silhouette sitting just in front of a barred window leading to the outside world. He looked up at her every now and again but then would turn back to the glass and stare out of it.

Zoey didn't know what to think about him, but she did feel something for him. Her gaze darted over to Nick and Rochelle who held one another safely in their arms. She longed for something like that, but would it be awkward? She shook her head as if to clear it but deemed unsuccessful when she remembered Ellis's face after he had confessed that he liked her. Although it hadn't been much of a secret. Even with Ellis's terrible secret keeping abilities this somehow came to her as a shock. She didn't believe it even after the words had come through his mouth. They some how didn't comprehend.

But now as she thought about it she realized she liked Ellis as well. She would have to tell him soon. Before they left this safe house and went out into the world of the infected yet again.

She stood ready to go and get it over with. A few eyes darted towards her and made it ever harder to walk the short distance to Ellis. Just as she reached the boy Coach yelled out that they were leaving. She rolled her eyes at the news and reluctantly ignored the subject of Ellis so that she could go and put on all of her supplies. Ellis was starring at her, most likely wondering what she was going to say when she walked away.

Ellis quickly shot her a smile and she hesitantly returned it. His teeth glinted for a second before he turned and went to get his stuff from the corner of the room.

Nick and Coach hoisted the bar from off of the door and Francis kicked it open.

"Now ya'll gotta be careful! I heard some specials are over here." Coach cautioned.

"I heard them too." Bill agreed as they stepped forward out into the grass of the lawn. With each step their foot sank in more and more until they finally managed to reach the street, thoroughly covered with mud and soaked through to the bones of their feet. Zoey let out a shiver but pushed on. It was hard getting used to these conditions. She only felt lucky that she was wearing a jacket.

"Watch 'er step." Ellis whispered and lifted Zoey up and over a large murky puddle on the ground that seemed to have an arm of an infected sticking out from within it. She thanked him and smiled. But she couldn't say anything, not yet. She found out quite quickly that when you were on the road it wasn't the best time to start saying stuff like you loved someone.

As the continued walking they found themselves a bit of a predicament. There they stood over looking a rather large gully that was completely filled with infected.

"We have to find another way around!" Louis announced looking up and down the sides attempting to find if there was another way.

"Doesn't sound hard." Rochelle laughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah as long as we don't die." Nick retorted and kneeled down over the gully. Quickly and without warning rocks fell from underneath him. He staggered backwards and Ellis snatched him by the collar of his jacket.

"Careful sugar!" Rochelle coughed as Ellis pulled him back up.

"Nicolas you know what would have happened if you fell down there?" Coach boomed.

"I would have-"

"You would have died!" Bill interrupted, "And we don't need to be taking chances when it come to that." Nick nodded,

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever I'm not a kid." Coach sighed in disbelief.

"Oh Nicolas, what goes on in that head of yours?" He asked himself rhetorically.

"Not much." Francis chuckled.

"He wasn't talking about you." Nick snapped, Francis laughed and Bill shook his head.

"Well we got to find a way around this ditch." Nick nodded.

"Don't fall." Ellis said with a shrug. Zoey giggled and he winked over at her causing a blush to spread across Zoey's cheek in a frenzy.

"No dur." Francis told him and began walking up and down the side of the trench attempting to get a better view.

"Well it's risky but I see a wood plank that across it over there." Louis spoke up. "That's really the only way over."

"Hey does anyone have a pipe bomb?" Zoey demanded while everyone was contemplating over whether or not we should go over the make-shift bridge.

"Here." Rochelle tossed it over her shoulder and she caught it with a steady hand.

"We can move the wood plank out of the way. Then throw this down into the gully. It would get rid of a large majority of the infected, then since we moved the bridge we could use that to get over." A few courses of agreement rang out once she stated the idea.

"Good plan." Ellis finally spoke up, "Let's do it."

It didn't take to long to get the board over the ditch and back on this side. Then Bill took the pipe bomb in hand and lobbed it.

"Damn!" Bill cursed as the pipe bomb landed. "Run! Its too close!" He snapped they all were standing on the edge, Bill had obviously thought it would have gone further. The beeping quickened as we finally got out of the shock and ran. The explosion threw the group back.

"Old man that hurt!" Francis whined as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"My bad." Bill sighed and stood shakily. "Every one alright?"

"Nah…" Ellis choked a large piece of rubble protruding from his arm. Zoey gasped and ran to help him tripping over her feet several times in the process.

"Anyone else hurt?" Nick yelled, no one else spoke up so he turned his attention to Ellis, "How bad is it?" He asked,

"Not bad." Ellis lied. Nick chuckled and began attempting to remove the piece of wood jammed into the boys arm.

"Here." Zoey said offering to help.

"No, I got it." Nick said and with a final grunt managed to pull out the wood followed by a thick stream of crimson. Ellis winced at the pain but attempted to smile up at Zoey all the while.

"Ah'm fine." He told them as Zoey finally managed to push everyone out of the way so she could wrap his arm.

"I can't do much, but here." She began to lace the gauze around his arm,

"It's fine. Did the bridge survive?" He asked pulling the attention away from him.

"I hope so." Bill grumbled the failure of his throwing eating away at the back of his head. Francis cracked his neck and began looking for the large piece of wood,

"All in one piece and ready to go!" He called back to the group dragging the wood behind him.

"Thank God!" Bill sighed and went over to help Francis set it up across the gully so they could get over. Nick, Coach, Rochelle and Louis all joined the two in getting the board across.

"How bad is it?" Ellis whispered looking up at Zoey from where she continued to wrap thick gauze around his arm.

"Fine. Please, forgive Bill he didn't mean it, it's just that he thought the gully was deeper than that." Ellis chuckled and reached is good hand up to ruffle her brunette hair.

"I didn't blame him for it, besides, this piece was headin' for you." He smiled and looked down, "I just couldn't see something as precious as you getting hurt." Zoey smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck happily.

"Never do that again!" She snapped smacking him on the back of the head in faux-furry.

"I will!" Ellis told her and wrapped his arms around hers and pulled her into his chest. "Because I like you Zoey." Her face flushed red as he pulled her closer. He smelt good, along with the smell of infected and blood clinging to his skin, but still he smelt good. Zoey buried her face into his chest as he began stroking her hair,

"Come on." He said finally pulling away and standing up, "I think the bridge is ready." Zoey helped him stand and the two began walking in the general direction the group went.

The only thing to be said is that that is when it all went to hell. As the survivors began crossing the bridge across the gully which now appeared to be twenty or so feet deep, (Bill had hit the side) a loud roar of the tank pierced their eardrums. The noise came not from in front of them but from behind.

Zoey saw Ellis bite his lip as he shoved Zoey forward across the bridge,

"GO!" He yelled and began making his way across the bridge as well, but the Tank was to fast. He grabbed Ellis around the waist and flung him into the ground near by. Ellis coughed and allowed a trickle of blood to escape his lips before he lifted his gun. He shot off the bit of bridge that linked the two sides together, leaving himself and the Tank alone. Zoey stood mouth agape as she realized what Ellis had done.

She called out in horror, anger, and disbelief as Ellis was thrown yet again but this time, out of sight. The Tank soon followed after.

Gunshots rang out for what seemed to be hours although it lasted barely a minute. Zoey jerked forward during this time and skidded down into the gully. Her feet slipped out from under her and she tumbled to the bottom. Her name was called after her and she could hear Francis attempt to follow her to catch her, stop her, keep her away from Ellis.

The girl bit her lip and pushed back her tears as she began to clamber up the other side. She dug her hands and figures deeply into the wet mud, she slipped several times put pushed on.

When she turned around she saw that Francis was becoming more and more stuck in the mud as he pushed after her,

"Damn it Zoey get back here!" He shouted for once he was being the rational one. But Zoey didn't care. No one else seemed to care that Ellis was alone and taking on the Tank, possibly he was dead.

That thought was quickly pushed out of her mind as she was finally able to reach the lip of the drop. She dragged herself up. Taking no time to take in her new mud-caked appearance she bolted for where she saw Ellis fall. She slung her gun back into her hands from its spot around her back and dashed for him. She skidded to a halt and looked down the alleyway.

On the ground was a bloodied and crippled Tank. He was dead, she could tell that from here but the Tank wasn't of any interest to her. She shot it once for good measure and then climbed over it.

A cry escaped her lips when she saw Ellis curled up in the corner, his legs mangled and his arms broken. His ribs seemed to be crushed in and he was bleeding heavily from a gash in his head.

She dropped forward and cradled him in her arms. Shaky shallow breaths were the only thing that made her aware that he was still alive.

"Ellis! Ellis!" She whispered urgently pressing her cheek against his. Blood wiped off onto her forehead but she didn't pay it any mind. "Wake up!" She sobbed tears now flowing freely down her cheeks and caressing her chin.

Slowly the green eyes opened to meet hers and with a trembling bloodied hand, Ellis reached up and brushed one of Zoey's tears from her cheek.

"Listen." He sputtered, "I love you more than…" Ellis cringed and took in a ragged breath, "anything in this world." Zoey chocked up but nodded.

"I wont let you-" Ellis cut her off with a finger pressed gently against her lips.

"Now, I want you to take care of them. Nick, Rochelle, Coach, Francis, Louis…Bill most importantly." He forced the words out through his teeth as he forced back the pain and the screams, "They love you. So you better survive this hell-hole." Zoey attempted at a smile and nodded,

Ellis's eyes began to flutter and his breath became shallow as if he was no longer taking in air. His hand twitched towards Zoey's and she placed her palm onto his.

"Would you do me a favor?" Ellis asked Zoey nodded, "The ground, isn't very comfortable." He chuckled dryly, blood dripping from his lips as he spoke. Zoey obliged and pulled Ellis's head up onto her lap. "Please Zoey, would you tell me…" He turned his head and coughed, "About you, before the apocalypse?" Zoey nodded and began shakily,

"I went to college, but I never really wanted to. I nearly flunked out…" She shook her head, "I was always watching horror movies and playing video games so I never found time to study or do homework or any of that. My parents never really got along, they were divorced. I was the only person that would keep the two together in a room for more than two seconds." Ellis reached up and grabbed Zoey's hand once again, she intertwine their finger's once again, "I-I really loved them. But they were always a bit troublesome. Like most parents are really." She paused then and realized Ellis had closed his eyes. Her gaze flickered to his chest that no longer rose nor fell. Quickly she ran her free fingers up his neck and checked for a pulse. Nothing beat against her fingers.

Slowly she heard one last shaking breath from the boy before utter silence. She pulled him up and clutched him against her chest, tear rolling onto his blood stained shirt. Zoey pressed her lips against his and cried out.

"No…" She finally whispered and buried her face into his chest and began to weep. Weep about everything that had happened, her parents, her finally finding love, and her love being taken away.

Zoey didn't know how long she sat like that but she soon felt a strong hand rest on her shoulder and she looked up into the apologetic face of Francis.

"He's…" Zoey spewed, Francis nodded and turned away. Zoey quickly unzipped her jacket and lay Ellis gently on the ground, she placed the garment over him.

Francis realized that Zoey wouldn't walk so he scooped her up into his arms and allowed her to cry into his vest. He walked her to where the rest of the survivors had set up a new bridge across the gully and walked her across the shaking wood.

"Where's…" Nick began and the staggered back and allowed Rochelle to fall into his arms. Bill and Louis rushed forward to comfort Zoey and Coach dropped to the ground.

"We got to bury him." Coach said. Bill nodded and swiftly removed his jacket and draped it over Zoey's shoulders.

"Let's go." Francis nodded and motioned for him, Louis, Coach, and Nick to go and bury the deceased boy. Bill wrapped his arm around Zoey and pulled her into his chest. She simply starred forward now, blankly, and expressionlessly.

Zoey watched as the boys dug the hole then lowered the body into it. Coach carved a few words into a large stone using a knife and placed it at the head of the make-shift grace.

Bill, Zoey and Rochelle, eventually made it over to the spot where Ellis now lay. Coach began to preach words from the bible as all of them paid their respects.

Zoey went last and looked longingly at the grave and it hit her like lightning, she still had everything left to say but now no time to say it.


End file.
